


Reticent Dreams

by peachycaffeine



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Begging, Dry Humping, Finger Sucking, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Hunter GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Hunter Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), I'll add more smut tags when I need to, M/M, Masturbation, Memory Loss, Mutual Masturbation, Slow Burn, Smut, Thief Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:54:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29814936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachycaffeine/pseuds/peachycaffeine
Summary: George and Company have been tasked with capturing the infamous thief Dream and bringing him before the king to pay for his crimes against the nation.However, after George loses his memory from dying and respawning, he's surprised to learn that Dream seems to have a soft spot for him, and he's even more surprised when he realizes how safe and content he feels in Dream's arms.He tries to push down the knowledge that he'll eventually have to make a choice between Dream or his friends and his kingdom.Perhaps recovering some of his memories may help him make a decision.This story is heavily inspired by crustyysam's Pretty Boys and Sharp Knives, and I implore you to read their fic if you enjoy this one, or even if you don't because it's *chef's kiss*.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 154





	1. A Rough Awakening

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Pretty Boys and Sharp Knives](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788737) by [crustyysam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crustyysam/pseuds/crustyysam). 



> CW: mentions of death.
> 
> I'll put content warnings before each chapter where it's necessary. If you see something you think I should warn readers about, please let me know.
> 
> Anyways this is the first fanfic I've written or posted in years so I'm NERVOUS. This first chapter, and probably some of the next chapter, is sort of an information dump and I'm so sorry for that. I promise there will be more story in the next chapter!!! Also this project thing is really showing me how difficult it is to write George as a character.

George woke and sat up with a start. He looked around in a confused daze at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was sitting in a bed inside of what looked to be a large tent. 

George’s breath quickened as panic threatened to seep in and prevent him from making any sort of logical decisions as his environment remained alien.

_Okay, just calm down,_ he told himself, _what’s the last thing you remember?_

That’s when George realized that he couldn’t remember anything.

Like, at all. 

Not from yesterday or last week or last year or from any part of his lifetime. 

The panic he had managed to suppress began bubbling up again, and he forcibly swallowed to try and keep it subdued, at least for now. 

_Just look around. Surely there’s something here that can be useful._

George stood on shaky legs and began examining the tent. To the left were several barrels and armor stands decorated with all sorts of sets of armor. He tentatively opened the barrels to reveal an assortment of food in some, and an assortment of weapons in others. There was a lit fire in the middle of the room, which vented out in an opening in the top of the tent. To the right was a desk where two books lay out. They looked important, so George sat at the desk and opened the first book.

**George,**

**Firstly, we would like to congratulate you on being one of the few soldiers selected for this important task.**

**Because this task could take an indefinite length of time, you’ve been set up with a shelter, a small farm, and any other amenities you may need to survive, as have all the other soldiers chosen. Each camp is roughly half a mile apart so that you may cover more ground between yourselves.**

**Your mission is to hunt down and capture the thief that has been plaguing our kingdom for years. This thief, who goes by Dream, has the intelligence and instincts to outsmart a hundred of our soldiers. His stealing has gotten excessively out of hand as of late, as he even went as far as to steal directly from the king, which is a criminal offense that mustn’t go unpunished. This thievery has gone far enough, so we have made the decision to infiltrate the forest outside the kingdom which he resides in as an attempt to stop him.**

**You may do whatever it takes to capture Dream and bring him before the king in chains. Make sure to work with your fellow soldiers.**

**Your hard work will, of course, not go unrewarded. Should you bring the thief to us, each soldier will be granted their own permanent room in the castle, as opposed to the soldier barracks you previously resided in.**

**Good luck, soldier.**

A loose paper slipped out of the book and onto the desk as George finished reading. He picked it up to examine it, and saw it was a map of the forest he was apparently in. His camp was labeled, as well as five other camps scattered across the forest. There was a big circle that indicated where they guessed Dream was located. It didn't really narrow it down, though.

George set the book and the map down. That was quite a bombardment of information, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle reading the second book. However, he still had questions, so he reluctantly opened the second book. He almost started crying tears of relief at the familiarity of the messy handwriting he was greeted with. George couldn’t quite place how he recognized the scribbles, and yet he felt comfort in the one thing he seemed to know.

He was relieved, that is, until he read the words.

**George,**

**If you’re reading this, it’s because you died.**

**Who knows what sort of stupid way you managed to get yourself killed this time, but welcome back. I can’t really be bothered to give you the specifics, so you’ll have to ask the other soldiers any questions you might have after you read this. Sapnap and Badboyhalo are your friends.**

**Basically, when you die, you respawn, but you lose all your memories in the process.**

**That’s all. I’m sure there are long-term effects of constantly dying, but who really knows.**

Okay, well, that one was significantly shorter than the first book, but it definitely packed a harder punch. George couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea that he had died. But then again, who could wrap their head around something like that?

George wondered if he was the one who wrote the second book. That would explain why the handwriting seemed so familiar to him. Plus, that definitely seems like something he would write. He set the book down, pocketed the map, and stepped out of the tent on wobbly legs. 

He took a moment to stare in awe at his environment. The forest was lush and green and full of life. Soft sounds of rustling foliage was a constant as gentle breezes made their way between the leaves and bushes. The oak trees weren’t necessarily huge, but they still stood like proud guardians, and George felt safe between them. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt a surge of excitement at the idea of exploring all the hidden groves and secret spots the forest had to offer. He almost all but forgot about the alarming information he’d just read about. 

George noticed a small note on his door. He pulled it down to read it.

**If you happen to wake up today, me and Sapnap are having dinner together at his place (it’s the campsite closest to yours). We’ll be there by the time the sun starts setting.**

**-BBH**

George looked up at the sky and saw he had a couple hours before the sun would begin to set. Hopefully that would be enough time for him to process everything and explore his whereabouts a little bit. He stepped further out of the tent and saw a small farm to his left, as well as an unlit fireplace with some log seats. 

There was a path leading into the forest, which he assumed would lead to other campsites. Straight ahead was a well, and past that he found a natural pool of water, which was likely where he would have to bathe. He didn’t see much besides trees beyond the small body of water, so he wandered back to his tent.

George went through the food-containing barrels again, but this time more thoroughly. They seemed to contain only potatoes, which had all gone bad and started sprouting. He tossed them out and decided to tend to his garden and salvage what he could so he wouldn’t starve in the future.

***

George hadn’t realized how late it’d gotten until he finished doing what he could with his garden. He quickly washed off his dirt-stained hands in the pool before rushing down the path to Sapnap’s campsite.

The walk was only about half a mile long, but it felt like it was taking forever as George began to feel anxiety sneak its way into his mind. Of course he knew these people, but it’s not like he could remember them. He had no idea what they were like or how to act around them. 

Finally, a campfire could be spotted through the trees, as well as two figures sitting by it. George froze and thought about whether he should go or if he should turn back to his own campsite. Before he could make a decision, he stepped on a particularly loud stick. The figures shot their heads up immediately. 

“Who’s there?” One of them demanded.

He sounded intimidating. George definitely wanted to turn and run back home now, but seeing as there was the threat of Dream lurking in the forest, he knew they would think he was Dream and hunt him down if he ran. So instead, he took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the fire with his hands up.

George noticed the one who had yelled was wielding a sword menacingly. He swallowed nervously and continued forward slowly. As soon as he stepped into the light, the man dropped his sword.

“George?” The other one, who was wearing a black hooded cloak, asked incredulously.

George wasn’t sure how to respond, so he merely nodded.

The two strangers raced towards him and wrapped him in a giant hug.

“George!” The man who had dropped the sword cried, sounding significantly less scary, “you’re finally back!”

“I, uh, saw the note on my door,” George managed to say, despite feeling like they were squeezing the air out of his lungs.

“Oh good, Sapnap here said I shouldn’t leave it because you wouldn’t wake up today, but I just had a feeling you might!” The cloaked man exclaimed, “I’m Bad, by the way.”

He was also a lot less intimidating when he started speaking.

“C’mon, let’s sit down and talk,” Bad continued.

The two pulled themselves off of George finally and began leading him to the fire.

“Did you walk here?” Sapnap asked, glancing behind them.

“Yeah,” George responded.

“You’ve got a horse, you know,” Sapnap chuckled, “he’s behind your tent.”

“Oh,” George said sheepishly, “I guess I should’ve looked around a little more.”

The three sat on the log seats and George noticed some meat being cooked over the firepit.

“Bad caught some wild rabbit earlier today,” Sapnap explained, noticing where George was looking, “finally, no potatoes for a night.”

“Hey! Potatoes aren’t bad!” Bad protested.

“They get boring when you have to eat them everyday!” Sapnap shot back.

“How did I die?” George questioned suddenly.

He didn’t mean to interrupt their conversation. He’d been lost in thought the past few moments, and this question had been bouncing around in his head since he’s woken up. He noticed Sapnap and Bad cast a glance towards each other before one of them answered.

“Actually, we’re not entirely sure,” Sapnap explained, “we never actually found your body until you were sent back to your bed.”

“Oh,” George sighed dejectedly, feeling his curiosity growing even more, “and how long was I gone for?”

“About three months,” Sapnap rubbed his neck nervously.

“Is that normal?”

“Not exactly,” Bad spoke now, “that usually means something really messed you up, and it took your body that long to recover.”

George stared at his hands. What on earth could’ve happened to him?

“Is there any way to recover my memories?” He inquired.

“You’re way too curious for your own good,” Sapnap snorted, spinning the meat over the fire to cook the other side.

“Not really,” Bad continued, shooting Sapnap a look, “although sometimes people can suddenly recall big life events or traumatic ones, but that’s really rare.”

“I’m sure you have tons more questions,” Sapnap interjected before George could ask anything else, “but I think we should get some food in you before we continue, and this rabbit looks like it's done.”

George didn’t argue and instead accepted the meal gratefully. He hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he started eating and couldn’t stop.


	2. A Hidden Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George goes Dream-hunting for the first time since waking up. Who knew he'd have such good luck? Or bad luck, depending on how you want to look at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: threatening life   
> Just the very last sentence, though

George had no idea how long he sat outside Sapnap’s tent bombarding the two hunters with questions. At some point, Sapnap made a remark that he should write more information in his remembrance journal, which was apparently something everybody had so they could relearn important things that have happened in their lives. Bad eventually fell asleep, and Sapnap had a long discussion, essentially with himself, about whether he should let Bad sleep in his tent tonight or if he should wake him up and make him go back to his own tent. George asked why they had such abnormal names, and Sapnap feigned offense before responding.

“When you sign up for the royal guard, they give you the option of going by a sort of codename, and we both chose to,” Sapnap shrugged, “thought it was more interesting than my real name.”

“What’re the other hunters’ names?”

“There’s Pia and Somber, who are sisters. They actually share a campsite with their own separate tents. And then there’s Willpower, which is a dumbass name, so we just call him Will. He’s the ‘you’re all incompetent, I’ll do it on my own’ type, so we don't see much of him.”

“Yikes,” George chuckled before Sapnap continued.

“And Pia seems nice, but she sort of follows Somber everywhere, who’s really intimidating. She kind of hates me for trying to flirt with her but, really, how could I resist the opportunity to get with a woman who would willingly put a knife through me at any given moment?”

George couldn’t quite tell if that last part was a joke or not, but it was funny nonetheless. His quiet laughter was cut off by an intense yawn, which Sapnap noticed.

“It’s getting pretty late. If you need to, you can stay here for tonight. It’s a long walk back,” he offered.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll be okay walking back. You’ve already got this guy’s snoring to deal with,” George tilted his head towards Bad as he mentioned him.

As if he heard the quip in his sleep, Bad suddenly twitched violently and began snoring louder.

“Heh, true,” Sapnap grinned, “well, next time come on your horse. It’ll be a much quicker and safer journey.”

George and Sapnap said their goodbyes and George began his trek back to his own tent. The forest was far more ominous at night, and he wondered if he should have stayed at Sapnap’s. Either way, he was grateful for the lantern he was lent, which casted dark shadows across the trees and bushes and forest floor that were otherwise entirely shrouded in darkness despite the moon’s presence between the leaves. George groaned as he stumbled through a patch of thorns that he didn’t see until it was too late, and a coyote howled far in the distance. Wet leaves grabbed his arms, which he had to keep wiping off.

Finally, he made it back to his tent. He put out the light of the lantern and, without bothering to take off his clothes, he threw himself onto his bed and fell asleep almost immediately. All of the events of the day proved to be far too overwhelming for his brain to keep up with them.

***

George awoke to the sound of heavy horse steps coming towards camp. He sat up abruptly, wondering if it was any sort of threat. He snuck to the window and peeked out, sighing with relief as he saw it was only Bad and Sapnap on their horses. He stepped out of the tent, temporarily blinded by the golden shine of the early sun.

“Hey,” Sapnap smiled, “glad to see you made it back okay.”

George tried to smile back as he shielded his eyes from the reflection of the sun bouncing off their armor.

“What’s up?” George asked.

“Well, apparently Dream was spotted in the area,” Bad explained, “so we’re doing some investigating. We figured we should ask if you wanted to join us, but it’s okay if you need to rest more since you’ve been out of commission for, like, three months.”

George felt fine, and he wanted to go explore his surroundings more, so he didn’t see anything stopping him.

“I’ll go,” he told the two, “just give me a minute to get ready.”

“Yeah, that’s my boy,” Sapnap laughed with approval.

George went back into his tent and quickly ate some food. He packed some more, seeing as he didn’t know how long he’d be gone for. He slipped into some armor, which surprisingly didn’t limit his mobility as much as he'd expected it to. He also grabbed a sword that fit nicely in his hand. After he felt he had everything he would need, George walked back outside and over to where his horse was. He led it out into the open and then mounted it, joining Sapnap and Bad.

“Looks like you still remember how to ride a horse,” Bad remarked.

“What exactly does Dream look like?” George asked, suddenly realizing he had no idea who exactly he was looking for.

The trio had started their journey through the forest, and George felt almost natural as he traveled with his friends.

“Here, I’ve got a picture of him,” Sapnap pulled out a small paper and handed it to George, who took it and immediately began studying it.

The picture was actually just a drawing that seemed like it’d been copied. Every hunter must’ve gotten one, and George wondered why he hadn’t found a copy in his own tent. The drawing depicted a man wearing a hoodie with the hood up, covering most of his hair. Long sleeves covered his arms, dark fingerless gloves covered his hands, and pants and shoes covered the rest. The most perplexing part was the mask. It, of course, covered his entire face. It was just a circle with a simple smile drawn across it, and yet, George felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of it.

“It would help if we had a picture without the mask,” George complained, trying to hand the sketch back to Sapnap.

“It doesn't when he never takes it off. And you can keep it. In case you die again,” Sapnap’s eyes sparkled mischievously as he teased George, who in turn rolled his eyes and pocketed the picture, “anyways, you two should scout out around here. I’ll head further north and see if I can find anything.”

And with that, Sapnap was taking off, leaving Bad and George alone.

“Who saw Dream?” George asked.

“Pia,” Bad said as he dismounted his horse and began tying its lead to a tree, prompting George to do the same, “she was taking her horse for a run and saw Dream right around here. She ran back to tell me and Sapnap immediately.”

Bad pulled out a map and pointed out a location to George.

“We’re right here. We should probably split up to cover more ground,” Bad explained.

“What should I do if I find him?” George really had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

“Capture him, if you can. Or call for backup. It's almost impossible to pin him down on your own. There’s no reason to kill him, since we don’t know where his bed is, unless he’s putting one of our lives in danger,” George appreciated how patiently Bad was clarifying everything, “your job right now is to try and find signs that he’s nearby, and track him down if possible. Maybe they'll lead us to where he's living.”

George nodded in understanding. Bad marked the places they would search on their own maps, and pretty soon, George was left on his own. Luckily, Bad assigned him some locations that were really easy to find on the map since he wasn’t yet familiar with the forest.

As soon as he got to his first location, George started searching for clues that somebody was there recently, as if it was instinctual for him. This all felt too familiar. However, as the sun rose higher and the day got hotter, George found very little beyond some animal tracks. Feeling frustrated and worn out, he sat under the shade of a large tree and ate some of the food he’d packed. Hopefully that would make him feel a little more optimistic about finding any sign of Dream.

Roughly halfway through his meal, all the hairs on George’s body raised as an overwhelming feeling of being watched overtook him. He sat up and nervously looked around at his surroundings, finding nothing but trees. Still, the feeling refused to go away, but George couldn’t hear any sounds that were out of the ordinary. He slowly leaned back against the tree again to keep eating his food, but he never brought his guard down. He definitely wasn’t feeling this way for no reason. George finished eating quickly and decided to move on to the next location he was assigned. He’d hoped the feeling would go away eventually, but when he entered a small clearing that held the entrance to a cave, the sense he was being watched was still there, and possibly more intense than before.

He wanted to check out the cave, thinking it may come in handy in the future to be familiar with it, but George stumbled back in surprise when he looked over at the entrance and saw something move just out of sight.

_There’s no way Dream’s in there,_ George assured himself, _it’s probably just an animal._

George crept closer to the cave, knowing that if anything really were to happen, Bad would be nearby, as their routes met back up towards the end. George unsheathed his sword as he continued forward. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest, but he had a job to do. If Dream really was in the cave, he couldn’t just leave.

_Maybe I should call for backup, though?_ George wondered suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

He didn’t have time to make a decision, because something jumped out of the cave and tackled him. Before he had time to process what was going on, George was on his stomach on the forest floor. He gasped for air as it had all escaped from his lungs at suddenly hitting the ground. Somebody’s body weight was pinning him down and preventing him from moving. He saw a gloved hand holding a sword to the side of his neck. George felt whoever was on top of him lean forward.

“If you make a single noise,” a quiet yet threatening and unfamiliar voice spoke in his ear, “I’ll put this sword through your throat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm speedrunning these chapters wow
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy, though. This got way more views than I expected it to. Like, I was expecting maybe 2 views at most.


	3. A Reunion Gone Awry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone spoke as if he was this excessively intelligent and cunning being that couldn’t even be touched. But George learned that he could be touched, and he was warm, like any other human."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: descriptions of a panic attack

George’s whole body tensed up at the threat, and he felt like even if Dream wasn’t pinning him down, he wouldn’t be able to move. 

_ I’m going to die again. He’s going to kill me,  _ he thought to himself.

George felt panic surge through his body. He’d just come back after being dead for three months. He’d just started relearning everything, and now he was going to have to do it all over again. George felt like he couldn’t breathe, despite nothing physically blocking his airways. He breathed in short gasps, trying desperately to get any air at all through to his lungs. His vision went blurry long before tears he couldn’t control started spilling down his cheeks, and it felt like his entire world was spinning much faster than he could keep up with.

_ Am I dying? Did he stab me already?  _ Were the last thoughts George had before his mind completely shut down and he was no longer able to think coherently. 

Dream was surveying the land, making sure none of the other hunters were around and had heard the commotion, when he felt the man he had under his knee start shaking. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Dream asked, leaning down to look closer at George.

When George didn’t respond, when he didn’t even seem to register the question, Dream guessed what was going on.

“Shit,” he mumbled, not at all expecting George to be having a panic attack at this moment, “George, I’m going to pick you up, okay? I won’t hurt you, I just need to move you.”

Again, no answer from George. Dream slowly pulled himself off of George and began picking him up. When George didn’t react, Dream started walking towards the cave. George was heavy, especially with the armor, and Dream stumbled a bit before leaning him up against one of the cave’s cold walls. 

“Okay, I need you to try taking some deep breaths,” Dream instructed George, “can you do that for me?”

George didn’t respond again, so Dream started taking big, dramatic breaths until finally he could tell that George was trying to do the same. Dream kept encouraging him while still looking around constantly to make sure nobody else was nearby. 

Eventually, the color came back to George’s face and his eyes didn’t look quite so glossed over. He wasn’t sure if they’d been sitting in that cave for minutes or hours.

“You didn’t kill me?” He asked, almost inaudibly.

George was surprised by the lack of voice that came out, but his throat felt dry as if he hadn’t spoken for years.

“No, and I doubt I would have, even if you’d started acting out,” Dream responded, “here, drink some water.”

He pulled out a canteen from the bag he was carrying. Gently, he tilted George’s head up and pressed the canteen to his lips. The water felt icy on George’s tongue, and it brought life back to his mouth and throat. He drank hungrily, ignoring the drops that trickled down his chin and stained his clothes. He must’ve looked crazy to Dream, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care at that moment. And even if he did, Dream didn't make any mention of it. After George had had his fill, Dream suggested that he eat something, but unfortunately, George had eaten all the food he brought along. At this point, he just felt exhausted and dehydrated and he wanted to be back in his bed.

“Do you think you can stand up and walk around now?” Dream questioned.

“Probably.”

“And your friends will probably be here soon, right?”

George nodded.

“Alright then, I have to take off. Don’t wanna be around when they get here.”

“Why did you help me?” George blurted out before Dream could leave.

Even though he couldn’t see Dream’s face behind the mask, he could almost imagine the incredulous look he was giving him.

“You think I’d just leave someone who’s having a panic attack?” Dream shot back, sounding a little defensive, “you might see me as a criminal but I’m not a monster.”

_ A panic attack. So that’s what happened. _

George glanced away, feeling guilty for what the question he asked insinuated. He didn’t mean it like that, he just figured someone wouldn’t want to risk getting caught while helping someone who was seen as an enemy.

Dream left the cave before George could say anything else. Maybe that was for the best. He waited a few minutes before he stood on shaky legs, feeling like a fawn just learning to walk. He used the cave wall as support as he slowly made his way back under the overbearing sun. 

He was only out of the cave for a few seconds when he saw Bad and Sapnap riding up on their horses, his own horse in tow. 

“Jesus, there you are!” Sapnap called out as he spotted George, “we were worried sick when you never showed up!”

“Are you okay George? What happened?” Bad couldn’t hide the concern from his voice as he spoke.

“Sorry, I think I just got too warm and passed out,” George lied.

“I knew it was too soon for you to start back up again,” Sapnap clicked his tongue.

“You were the one who was hyping him up, though,” Bad rolled his eyes.

Sapnap shot Bad a look as George got back on his horse.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine if I can just take a nap,” George assured the hunters.

“We’re done for the day anyways,” Sapnap directed his horse in the direction of George’s campsite, “did you find any sign of Dream?”

“No, everything seemed normal,” George lied again.

He wanted to believe that he lied because he was just too tired to explain that he actually ran into Dream and that he could probably point them in the general direction he went, but really George felt like he owed it to Dream to not give him away after helping him through a panic attack. 

“Man,” Sapnap sighed, “I was really hoping I could chase after him or something today.”

George leaned back and looked at the sky as Bad and Sapnap kept talking about the day’s events. It was a nice day, although a little warmer than what George preferred. The sun shone through the leaves, leaving latticework of light and shadow along the worn path. He breathed in the earthy tones and thought about how he could’ve died and never remembered this day. Or, maybe he was panicking for nothing. After all, Dream clarified that he wouldn’t have actually killed him. Either way, George was glad to remember riding through the forest with his friends.

***

When George got back to his campsite and said bye to his friends, he barely managed to get all his armor off before passing out on his bed. He didn’t wake up until it was completely dark out. He forced himself to get out of bed and cook some potatoes, and when he was eating, he tried processing the events of the day. 

He ran into Dream the first time he went out hunting for him. Whether that was good or bad luck, he wasn’t sure. He was surprised when he had a panic attack, but even more so when Dream successfully helped him come down from it. George certainly wouldn’t have known how to help someone in that situation, but he just knew he would somehow manage to make it worse. 

He was still confused on why Dream decided to help him, though. Of course, it was the nice thing to do, but it definitely wasn’t necessary, as George would’ve likely calmed down eventually without help. Or Sapnap or Bad could’ve found and helped him. He could’ve even been faking it as some sort of trap to capture Dream. 

Helping George definitely made things more dangerous for Dream, but he seemed to know that. George certainly didn’t miss the constant glances over his shoulder when they were in the cave. 

George shook the thoughts out of his head, frustrated by all the questions that remained answerless. He pulled out the picture of Dream and studied it more than he was able to before when he was on his horse. 

Looking at it before, he felt intimidated by the masked man shrouded in foreboding secrecy. Everyone spoke as if he was this excessively intelligent and cunning being that couldn’t even be touched. But George learned that he could be touched, and he was warm, like any other human. His voice was much gentler than George had expected it to be. It was comforting when he was panicked. 

George tossed the picture onto his desk before he could think more about how much he preferred Dream’s real voice over whatever creepy, gravelly voice he’d imagined it to be. Either way, the thief was a walking enigma whose mysteries could not all be solved in one night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream my beloved


	4. An Unexpected Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream makes an apology and reveals a few pieces of information about George's past life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: uhhhhh mentions of panic attacks

When George woke up again, it was evening and the sun was beginning to sink into the distant ocean. He felt slightly jittery, seeing as he hadn’t eaten since late the night before. He groaned as he realized how much he was messing up his sleep schedule. 

George cooked some food and decided that he would take a bath after eating. After all, he’d been sweating and sleeping and having panic attacks all in the same outfit. It was definitely long overdue for him to change clothes and freshen up. He finished eating quickly as he perked up at the idea of cleaning himself off under the sunset. 

It was the perfect time and weather for it, too. Warm, but a cool breeze occasionally reintroducing itself so you’d never get too hot if you were running around. The sun was leaving orange and red streaks across the sky. The flush colors bled into the water and promised the warmth it radiated as George slipped into it, but he shivered lightly at the cold contrast it offered instead.

Either way, the water was revitalizing and George felt good as new. He swam lazily to the other end of the pool and leaned on a large rock half submerged in the water. He could just barely see the ocean through the trees, and he made a mental note to visit it sometime in the near future.

For the first time since waking up from his three month slumber, George felt at peace. Of course, that didn’t last very long at all. The overwhelming feeling that he was being watched made way and tore apart the serene sensation of peace. 

There was a small alcove to the left of the rock, so George made his way to it and sank down so just his head was above the water, hoping it would somehow protect him from any impending threat. 

Leaves rustled nearby and George jerked his head towards the sound. 

“Hey.”

George turned around again and jumped when he saw Dream sitting casually on a tree branch, leaving George to wonder how he’d gotten there so quickly and stealthily. 

“What are you doing here?” George asked cautiously, shrinking further into the alcove.

“You swimming?” Dream ignored George’s question.

George nodded.

“Can I join you?”

George was taken aback by the question because, once again, they were technically enemies.

“I’m, uh, not really wearing any clothes,” George explained, glad that the water wasn’t clear enough for Dream to see that for himself.

He already felt vulnerable enough as it was, especially since he just had to admit that to Dream.

“Oh, skinny-dipping, huh?”

George could practically hear the grin behind the mask.

“I’m just taking a bath,” he responded flatly.

“Okay,” Dream hopped out of the tree with ease, “I’ll wait in your tent for you, then.”

“Wait, what? You can’t just go into my tent whenever you want!” George argued.

“Georgie,” Dream chuckled, “I’ve broken into the castle and stolen from the  _ king,  _ and you think I haven’t already been inside all of your tents?”

Dream waved his hand in the general direction of everyone else’s tents before disappearing inside George’s. Had he not left at that moment, George would’ve reprimanded him for the nickname. He huffed at the feeling of annoyance growing in his chest. Who did Dream think he was just going where he pleased?

George sat in the pool a little longer, hoping to recover the sense of peace he’d had before Dream showed up, but it was no use. He sighed again as he got out and dried off to put on some clean clothes. 

He walked into his tent still drying off his hair to find Dream lounging at his desk flipping through his remembrance journal and eating some of his food. His mask was lifted just barely so he could eat, and George could just barely see part of his jaw.

“Your journal is so empty,” Dream laughed, hearing George enter, “but somehow it’s so you.”

George stalked over and snatched the book away from Dream.

“What is wrong with you? Stop going through my stuff,” George snapped, “what’s in yours then, if mine’s so bad?”

“Absolutely everything,” Dream said shortly.

There was a silent pause when George waited for Dream to elaborate, but he didn’t.

“Right. Well what makes you think I won’t just call for the other hunters and have you captured?”

“Because I’d be long gone before your friends get here. We’re just chatting. What’s the issue?” Dream leaned back and put his hands behind his head in a dramatic show of relaxation.

“Why’re you acting like we’re friends?”

“I mean, we used to be,” Dream shrugged, “before you, uh…”

“Before I died.”

“Yeah. Before you died,” Dream nodded, keeping his eyes on the desk.

That is, that’s where he would likely be looking. George couldn’t quite tell with the mask. 

“Do you know what happened to me?” George pressed.

“No, thought you were avoiding me, or you went back to the kingdom or something. Didn’t know you died,” Dream tapped his fingers on the desk, as if this wasn’t a conversation he really wanted to have.

“Why would I’ve been avoiding you?”

“Geez, you ask a lot of questions, but there’s no particular reason. You’re just kind of flighty,” Dream turned to face George, who shivered as the mask’s blank eyes stared at him.

The two stared at each other for a bit without a word between them. George was practically radiating with irritation, and Dream seemed like he wanted to see how far he could push George. Whether that was intentional or not on Dream’s part, George wasn’t sure.

“Anyways,” Dream stood up, and only then did George realize how much Dream towered over him, “I came here to see how you were doing after, you know, the whole panic attack thing.”

“Oh. I’m fine,” George looked away, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at the memory. 

“Good,” Dream took a few steps towards the door, “and I’m sorry about that. I really didn’t mean to make you panic like that.”

George was taken aback by the sudden apology. 

“I don’t think it was you that caused it,” George explained, “I was just scared I was going to die again so soon after coming back.”

“Sure, but you were only put in that position because of me,” Dream pointed out.

“Either way, you don’t have to apologize,” George grumbled.

“Too late, I already did,” Dream stepped out the door as he spoke, “that’s really all I had to say, so I’ll see you later.”

George watched Dream walk towards the trees.

“Hey!” George rushed out the tent to call to him, “next time I’m tracking you or something, don’t go easy on me.”

Dream stared at George for a beat before turning again and disappearing. That mask’s vacant expression boring holes into George’s soul until he was gone. Unsatisfied with the lack of response, George rolled his eyes and went back into his tent to get ready to go to sleep for the night.

***

George shifted in his bed, trying to fall asleep to no avail. Dream was taking up far more space in his thoughts than he preferred. 

Had they really been friends before George died? How would that have worked if they were?

They weren’t supposed to be friends.

It seemed redundant at this point to say that, but it’s all George could think. He couldn’t really wrap his head around the concept of being friends with Dream. Even if one wasn’t hunting the other, Dream seemed to be incredibly talented at getting under George’s skin and bothering him in any way possible.

George shifted in bed trying desperately to find a comfortable spot in bed. Had Bad and Sapnap known he was friends with Dream? Most likely not. George couldn’t imagine telling them now, so he probably couldn’t imagine it before, either.

On top of that, there was still the mystery of how George actually died. Nobody seemed to know anything, not even Dream, and the question still hung heavy in the back of his mind.

Maybe he just went out on his own and got mauled by a bear. Even so, it was something he wanted to know. It would give him some peace of mind at the very least. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for the second half of this chapter, because it's not great lol I have a migraine which caused me to also get super nauseous and then my nose started bleeding which caused me to almost pass out so uhhhh yeah good times.
> 
> Also I feel like in this fic Dream gives off Peter Pan vibes or Puck vibes if you've ever read The Sisters Grimm, and George kinda gives off Disney Pocahontas vibes because he loves being in the forest lol and I love that for them.


	5. A New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George meets the other hunters as they devise a new plan to capture Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyo I'm sorry for the chapter not being as well as it could be but I still have a migraine oof I ain't even gonna proofread it

George finally woke up at a decent time on his own. He ate breakfast outside to fully experience the morning. The air was crisp and fresh, but it carried a scent that hinted at rain being in the possible future. George finished eating and laid back. The morning dew drops seeped through his shirt and the sun stared down at him, promising him a warm day. He sat back up when he heard horses trotting towards him.

“Dude, what’re you doing?” Sapnap asked as George stayed seated in the grass.

“Sitting,” George told him.

The two stared at one another for a few seconds before both breaking out into grins.

“You’re irritating,” Sapnap laughed. 

“So what’s up?” George asked as he stood and stretched.

“Pia said we’re having a brainstorming session for how to catch Dream,” Bad answered, “we’ve all gotta go to Pia and Somber’s place.”

“Alright,” George nodded, “let me just go grab my horse.”

George realized as he hopped on his horse and took off with his friends that this was the first time he would be meeting the other hunters. He wondered how many brainstorming sessions they’d had that had led to failure.

The trio rode past Sapnap’s tent and then Bad’s tent and further down the worn path. The other two were quiet, so George opted not to say anything. The thunderous galloping of the three horses was likely too deafening for them to carry out a conversation anyways. 

George spent his time looking at his surroundings as they zoomed past. The area slowly became more densely populated with all sorts of colorful flowers.

Sapnap’s horse stepped in a patch of thorns and nearly bucked him off at the sudden pain. George couldn’t help but laugh as Sapnap hurled bad words at the horse and questioned its intelligence, all while Bad was yelling at him to be nice to the poor horse. 

They finally arrived in a clearing that held two tents. George followed Bad and Sapnap’s lead as they tied their horses to a fence and stepped into the closer of the two tents. The interior was designed exactly the same way as George’s, aside from the color of the bedding. There was one woman sitting on the bed, one sitting at the desk, and a man standing on the other side of the room. 

“George! You’re back!” The woman sitting on the bed exclaimed as George had just barely fully stepped inside.

“Yeah,” George nodded nervously, feeling overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar faces.

“George, this is Pia,” Bad introduced him, pointing to the woman that spoke up.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she smiled.

“This is Somber,” he motioned to the woman sitting at the desk.

“Nice to see you again,” she offered a formal smile.

“And this is Willpower.”

“Try not dying this time,” Will crossed his arms.

“I don’t think I was trying last time,” George shot back.

Yeah, he definitely didn’t like Will, just from hearing him speak once. Will glared at him and George held his gaze as Sapnap chuckled. 

“Okay!” Bad clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention, “to start this off, does anyone have any ideas for catching Dream?”

George thought about how Dream had confessed that they were friends before he died. Hypothetically, he could probably befriend Dream again to gain his trust and then use that to their advantage, but no matter how he looked at it, it just felt wrong to George. He didn’t feel comfortable betraying Dream’s trust like that and exploiting it for his own gain.

George wasn’t entirely sure why he felt this way, seeing as he hardly knew Dream now, but he decided to just keep that information to himself. At least, he’d keep it to himself for now.

“Somber came up with a plan,” Pia announced, pulling George out of his own thoughts.

“We both did,” Somber corrected her, “you can tell them what it is.”

“Okay,” Pia seemed to be radiating with nervous excitement as she spoke, “so, we all know it’s a big fiasco when Dream goes into town and steals since he ends up with half the kingdom’s guards chasing after him right? So we can have a hunter posted outside the kingdom at all times, and when Dream steals again, one of the inner wall guards can signal to the hunter that he’s there. Then when Dream leaves the kingdom, he’ll probably go back to where he lives, so we can follow him straight to his bed.”

“And from there,” Somber continues for Pia, “we’ll know where his bed is and we can come up with a plan to kill him and trap him at his bed.”

“That sounds like it could work,” Bad nods, “of course, we’ll have to work out the details still, like taking shifts to stake out the kingdom wall since Dream doesn’t seem to have a pattern for when he goes into town as far as we know. 

“And we’ve already got one of the inner guards to agree to signalling to us when he’s there,” Pia grinned proudly.

“He told us that Dream just showed up a few days ago, though, so we probably won’t have to start looking out for the signal for another week or two. 

The group started working out the details of the plan, and George tried to stay focused on the conversation. The others asked his opinion a few times, but he didn’t really have much to contribute.to the conversation. 

Finally, after all the details were settled, everyone dispersed. George was riding back with Sapnap and Bad, and it was much quieter now that they weren’t in a rush to get anywhere. 

“Do you guys think you could practice some sparring with me?” George asked the other two.

“Hell yeah!” Sapnap responded immediately, “I’ve been itching to do some fighting.”

“Is it okay if I skip out?” Bad answered, “I’ve got a few things I want to do today.”

“Yeah it’s fine. I’m sure Sapnap will keep me on my toes,” George smiled as he saw how excited Sapnap seemed. 

Eventually, George and Sapnap said bye to Bad. Sapnap then brought them back to his tent to grab some wooden sparring swords. They finally made their way to a small clearing among the trees.

“So, anything specific you wanna work on?” Sapnap asked as he twirled his sword around distractedly.

“Yeah, actually,” George nodded, “can you try sneaking up on me?”

George wanted to work on being able to handle someone sneaking up on him in a fight so that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the last time he was tracking down Dream. After all, he did tell Dream not to go easy on him next time, so he wanted to be prepared.

Sapnap ran off into the woods and George took a nervous breath.

_ You’re not in any sort of danger,  _ he reminded himself.

Slowly, he crept between the trees, trying to listen out for any signs of Sapnap while also trying to stay quiet. He jumped at almost every sound.

An especially loud and nearby sound caught George’s attention. It sounded like someone stepped on a stick. He remembered the day in the pool, where there was a loud noise, but then Dream appeared the opposite way of the noise, and he wondered if Sapnap was trying to pull the same trick. He looked away from the direction of the sound, but suddenly felt something run into him.

Sapnap had practically tackled George and was now pinning him on his back, the wooden sword pressed to his throat. George tried to raise his own sword, but Sapnap managed to pin that arm down too. George went limp in defeat.

“I thought I was a goner when I stepped on that stick,” Sapnap laughed, “why’d you look away?”

“I, uh, thought I saw something moving over there,” George lied.

Sapnap got off of George and helped him stand up.

“Man, you used to be so good at fighting. Like, almost as good as me. What happened?”

George rolled his eyes at the self praise.

“I guess being dead just messed me up,” George shrugged, “let’s go again.”

***

Sapnap and George kept training until their stomachs indicated that it was dinnertime. They headed back to their tents. When they got to Sapnap’s, George was getting ready to say goodbye when he noticed a line of smoke traveling up beyond the treeline.

“Hey, did you forget to put out your fire or something?” He asked, pointing to the smoke.

Sapnap turned to where he was pointing and then gave George a quizzical look.

“I definitely put it out.”

Without a word, the two crept towards the campsite. George was about to draw his sword, but then he saw Bad sitting at the fire cooking something over the flames.

“Bad?” Sapnap sounded confused, “what’re you doing here?”

Bad jumped as George and Sapnap walked up, but his face broke out into a smile when he saw it was them.

“Hi!” He greeted them, “I caught a wild boar. I wanted to share and figured you both would end up here.”


	6. A Strange Interaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's rainy and Dream watches George fall.

George, Sapnap, and Bad all sat around the firepit and ate the meat that they so rarely had. Sapnap had been right in saying potatoes got old pretty quickly. 

“It’s nice finally having a new plan for catching Dream,” Bad brought up between bites.

“Do we not come up with plans very often?” George wondered.

“We used to have all sorts of strategies,” Bad shrugged, “but we exhausted all of them within the first month of being out here. We don’t really try as much to catch him anymore. It just seems impossible most of the time.”

“We’ve been out here a long time, huh?” George asked.

Bad nodded. Sapnap finished eating and moved so that he was sitting in front of the log seat rather than on it. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind just staying out here forever, ‘hunting’ Dream,” Sapnap sighed contentedly and stared up at the stars, “we’ve got everything we need and we’re living more comfortably than we were as soldiers inside the kingdom.”

Even though George couldn’t recall life inside the kingdom walls, he had to agree. Out here, everything felt so carefree. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere more densely populated than this forest. 

A drop of water hit George’s head, and then another tapped his shoulder. It was the rain that promised to make an appearance at some point. Thunder rumbled in the distance. George noticed his horse shifting about nervously at the sound. 

Everyone scrambled to grab the leftover food and put it inside as the rain got heavier. 

“I’m not sure my horse is going to let me get back home,” George observed as he watched the poor thing get more agitated by the second.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that he’s scared of thunderstorms,” Sapnap chuckled, “I’ve got an enclosed shelter for the horses that usually calms him down. He can stay there tonight. And you can stay here too, if you want.”

“Thanks. I might just leave him and walk back. I’ve got some things I want to write down about our training today before I forget,” George responded.

George said goodbye to his friends and then headed out into the dark, stormy night. The rain was coming down hard now, and it was cold, but he didn’t hate it. George found thunderstorms to be rather calming. He inhaled the wet air and walked quickly back home. He forgot to ask for a lantern this time, but he could see the path well enough he didn’t necessarily need one.

But then, there it was. That uneasy feeling that there was a pair of eyes trained on him. George slowed down and shivered from the feeling, or maybe from the icy rain. He wasn’t quite sure. 

George glanced around as he walked, wondering if maybe Sapnap or Bad had forgotten to tell him something, but then he suddenly realized something. Earlier that day, when they were sparring and Sapnap was hiding among the trees, George never felt that feeling of being watched.

Was Dream the only one whose presence he could sense? Why on earth would that be the case, though?

George didn’t have much more time to ponder. Distracted by searching for whoever was watching him, he didn’t notice the tree root until he tripped over it and fell into a puddle of muddy water. 

He cursed under his breath about how clumsy he was, and he considered just laying there for the rest of the night. However, he heard a faint laugh, which caused him to stand right back up.

“Dream?” George called out.

There was a long pause. Completely silent besides the rain, and George almost turned and started walking again when he saw a green hoodie slip out from between the leaves.

“How’d you know it was me?” The masked man asked.

George decided against telling Dream that he could sense only him.

“Are you following me?” George said instead.

“What if I was?” Dream challenged, “that was quite a tumble you took.”

George rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, as if that would successfully cover all the mud on his shirt.

“You being creepy and watching me was distracting,” George countered.

“How’d you know I was there?” Dream took a step towards him and asked again, “I don’t recall making any noise before I laughed.”

“Maybe you’re not as stealthy as you think you are,” George shot back.

He took a step back. Dream took another step towards him. This kept going until George’s back was against a tree and Dream was a little too close for comfort.

“Are you scared of me, George?” Dream asked.

“Why would I be?”

“You keep stepping back when I come near.”

“I think that’s a pretty normal reaction, given the situation.”

There was a tense silence. The mask stared blankly at George, who swallowed nervously. Okay, maybe he was a little scared. 

“You’ve got mud on your face,” Dream said quietly.

He reached out a hand towards George, who flinched, but didn’t pull away. His curiosity tended to outweigh his fear, even in situations where it probably shouldn’t. Dream dragged his thumb across the side of George’s chin, but then it hovered over his bottom lip, just barely grazing it. 

They stood there for a few seconds before George looked up at Dream with a quizzical look. He pulled his hand away quickly and stepped back.

“Anyways,” Dream continued as if nothing had just happened, “I was just passing by, not following you.”

“What were you doing way out here? You live nearby?”

“Not really.”

And then Dream took off in the opposite direction George was going. He seemed like he was in a rush. Just like that, Dream was gone. Nothing but a mystery once again. 

George stood against the tree for a few minutes, trying to figure out what just happened. When no answers could be thought of, he kept on trekking home. He wanted to get out of his muddy clothes as soon as possible. 

When George finally made it home, he changed into some clean clothes and sat at his desk. He started writing down some fighting and tracking techniques Sapnap had taught them during their little session. However, his mind kept wandering to his interaction with Dream.

It wasn’t very uncommon for him to run into Dream it seemed, but this time seemed different. Of course, there was the obvious difference of Dream’s finger skimming George’s lip, and it stayed there for much longer than expected, when it wasn’t even expected at all in the first place. 

But there was also the question of why George didn’t pull away, or why he let Dream get that close to begin with. Being curious was one thing, but George was being straight up reckless, seeing as he didn’t know much about Dream besides he was to be treated as a threat. 

George grabbed the small mirror on his desk and looked closely at himself. Maybe there was something wrong with his lips, or something on them. He looked, but found nothing. He sighed and set the mirror down. He traced his own thumb over his lips.

Part of George wondered if they were soft enough for Dream, but he immediately pushed that thought out of his mind. Why would he care what Dream thought of his lips?

George crawled into bed to sleep, but of course, Dream was once again occupying far too much space in his brain. He wondered for the first time what Dream looked like under his mask. Maybe there was a reason he was hiding his face. After all, he was hiding out from the entire royal army. It would be smart of him to take his mask off when he was trying to steal something, that way he could just blend in with the crowd.

George fell asleep trying to imagine his face without the mask.

***

Several days passed without any interactions with Dream, or any word from the other hunters. George wasn’t even entirely sure how many days it’d been when Sapnap and Bad finally showed up on horse while he was reloading his firepit with wood. 

George wiped the dirt off his hands and wished he wasn’t always the last to receive news.

“We’re starting shifts tomorrow to watch for the sigal from the guard,” Sapnap hopped off his horse and pressed a sheet of paper into George’s hand.

“Hello to you too, Sapnap,” George jested.

Sapnap playfully punched George’s arm as he unfolded the paper. 

“There’s going to be three shifts per day,” Bad explained, “which are pretty long shifts, but that way everyone can have a full day off between their shifts.”

George saw that he had the third shift on the first day, meaning he would be out there from afternoon until almost midnight. He also noticed that both Bad and Sapnap had the midnight to early morning shifts.

“Wow, I don’t envy you two,” George laughed. 

“Don’t remind me,” Sapnap groaned, “goodbye sleep. You will be missed.”

“At least you don’t have to start until tomorrow,” Bad grumbled, “I don’t even have time to try and sleep before I start.”

George gave Bad a sympathetic look. 

“This is going to be fun,” George said sarcastically.

Of course, the idea of sitting in one spot staring at a wall didn’t sound appealing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are still enjoying:]


	7. A Comfortable Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George's first night staking out isn't as lonely as he expected it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hah I'm not proofreading this again I'm lazy

By the time George, Sapnap, and Bad said goodbye to each other for the night, it was time for Bad to start the very first shift. George tried to get some extra sleep in preparation for his shift that night, but his internal clock had him waking up with the sun.

He couldn’t hold back the intense yawn as he hoped he wouldn’t feel too tired later that day. George wondered how Bad was doing. It really was going to be awful, literally just staring at a wall for eight hours straight. He decided he’d bring a few books to read. After all, the guard who was supposed to signal to them wasn’t supposed to stop until they got a signal back, so George would be fine as long as he stayed vigilant and looked up from his book every once in a while.

George packed some books that seemed interesting enough, and after some hesitation, he packed his remembrance journal too. Maybe he could bring himself to finally fill it out a little more with all the downtime he would have. He would also bring some food, but he wasn’t going to pack that up until it was a little closer to time for him to leave. 

George ate breakfast and thought about the plan, and whether or not it would work. He didn’t have the memories of their failed plans to compare it to, but seeing how much of a hard time everyone had with catching Dream, or even finding his bed, it seemed unlikely this would succeed. George still wanted to try, though. He couldn’t let his teammates down.

It was a strange situation for George to be in. Despite him not even knowing Dream all too well, he felt like his loyalties were divided between him and his friends. At the end of the day, George would likely choose to support and side with the other hunters, but he was worried that might change if Dream kept randomly showing up and talking like they were friends or doing strange things like touching his lips. 

Days after that incident, George still couldn’t stop thinking about it. He didn’t know why, but part of him wanted Dream to keep going. He wanted to see what Dream was thinking, or what he wanted to do. It would be so much easier if George could just see Dream’s facial expressions. At least he’d have a hint to what the man was thinking at any given point. He let out an exasperated sigh.

Why did Dream have to be so weird?

George decided to busy himself with some mundane chores he had been putting off, like washing his clothes and cleaning up around his tent. It was certainly better and more productive than just sitting around. 

By the time George had finished hanging up his clothes to dry, it was almost past time to leave. He quickly finished packing his bag and started walking towards the spot that was now labeled as lookout point. 

The group had collectively decided walking to and from would be better than going by horse, just in case they needed to follow Dream. They couldn’t very well do that stealthily while on a horse. George didn’t mind walking though. He could probably say he preferred it. He liked being able to hop from rock to rock on the path, or to stop and look at the little creatures that inhabited the forest. There were too many details that were easy to miss when on horse.

Will’s shift was between Bad’s and George’s. George wished he could relieve Bad from his shift instead, but unfortunately it seemed he didn’t have much say in the shift schedule. 

“Finally,” Will sighed as he spotted George walking up, “you could’ve gotten here a little earlier.”

“I got here at the time I needed to,” George retorted. 

George didn’t know what Will’s deal was, but he wasn’t going to let Will speak down on him like that. 

“Whatever,” Will gathered his things, “get here earlier next time.”

Will took off down the worn path, and George glared holes into his back until he was gone. When he was along, he looked around at the new surroundings. He was on a hill in a grassy clearing. There was a large boulder he could lean back on if he wanted to. At the bottom of the hill, between George and the kingdom was a small river. 

George settled down and pulled out a book. It would be a few hours yet until the sun would set low enough to get dark, and even then, he’d brought a lantern. 

Several hours passed with no incident. George had lit the lantern to continue reading, but eventually got too tired to comprehend the words written in front of him. He put the book away and decided to eat a little after hearing his stomach growl.

George had just finished eating when that feeling that was growing far too familiar arose. He sighed and sat back, attempting to get comfortable against the rock. Based on their last few interactions, George figured Dream’s presence wasn’t a dangerous one. Not that he trusted Dream by any means, but surely he would’ve been hurt by now if Dream wanted him to be. 

Sure enough, pretty soon that white mask popped out from between the bushes. It was almost comical seeing that little face just randomly appearing. 

“Hi, Dream,” George welcomed him as if they were old friends.

“I hope I didn’t scare you,” Dream stepped into the clearing.

George shook his head. Dream stood there for a second, and George wondered if he was disappointed that he was never surprised to see the masked man. After all, he was seen as practically a master of stealth, and yet George was never scared.

“How and why do you always just show up wherever I am?” George asked.

“You’re easy to track, and sometimes I’m bored. Not much else to do,” Dream shrugged as if that was the most obvious answer in the world.

“Do you ever track down and talk to any of the other hunters?”

“No. I was never friends with them.”

“Were we really friends?” George was still a little unsure that was possible.

“Is it really that hard to believe?”

“Well, you’re kind of irritating, so yes,” George answered. 

Dream let out a soft laugh. He had a nice laugh.

Wait, what?

George shook his head to try and clear out his thoughts. No way did he actually just think that. 

Dream walked closer to George and sat down near him, which made George a little nervous.

“So, what’re you doing out here?” Dream changed the subject, “I saw one of your friends sitting here earlier, too.”

George froze. He hadn’t thought of any excuses in case this happened. Of course, he wasn’t comfortable using his past friendship with Dream to his advantage, but he also wasn’t going to let Dream in on the plans his teammates came up with to capture him. George wanted to remain as neutral as possible. If they caught Dream, then great, but he wasn’t going to emotionally manipulate Dream for that to happen.

“Business between the king and his soldiers is classified,” George said shortly. 

Dream let out another chuckle. George had to once again push away the fact that he liked hearing Dream laugh.

“Fine, I won’t pry,” Dream put his hands up in surrender. 

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, and it was kind of comfortable, even if George wouldn’t admit it. It was a boring job, so it was nice to have someone there to talk to or just sit with. 

Of course, Dream was the reason he had to sit there in the first place. On top of that, George didn’t even need to watch for the signal now, since Dream was right next to him. He couldn’t very well be stealing from within the walls when he was right there.

George laid down so he could look up at the sky and sighed. It was nice to be able to take his eyes off the wall for a bit. He noticed Dream copy him and lay down too.

“Are you going to sleep?” Dream asked.

“What? No, I’m just resting a bit,” George answered, “I can’t sleep until I get back to my tent tonight.”

“Hmm, so whatever you’re doing out here requires you to stay away,” Dream thought aloud.

“Stop looking into it,” George warned, “I thought you just said you wouldn’t pry.”

“I’m not prying,” Dream argued, “I’m just thinking about what you could possibly be doing out here.”

“Well, stop it.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop thinking.”

Another lengthy pause. George stared up at the stars and wondered if he was looking at any constellations. 

“Dream,” George said suddenly, “remember when you saw me when it was raining?”

“How could I forget? You fell straight into a pool of mud,” Dream snorted.

George rolled his eyes.

“Well, you did something that kind of confused me when you said I had mud on my face,” George continued.

He waited for Dream to say something, but there was no response, so he kept going.

“You sort of left your thumb over my lips for awhile. Why’d you do that? It made me think something was wrong with them or something.”

“You really want to know why I did that?”

“That’s why I asked.”

“The way you’re acting makes me think you know why I did it,” Dream chuckled again, but this time there was a hint of frustration.

“I don’t,” George argued stubbornly.

Dream propped himself up on his elbows and turned to face George, who also sat up a bit. 

“Your lips are just really pretty, I guess,” Dream admitted.

He spoke in such a low tone that George just barely heard him.

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like again uwu and I noticed I'm getting close to 1,000 hits which is so crazy to me but thank you for the support <3  
> Also I'll state this again later, but next chapter is probably going to include some sort of smut oh gosh I'm nervous to write it


	8. A Buildup of Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all smut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like the chapter summary says, pretty much the entirety of this chapter is smut. If that's something you want to read, enjoy:)

“What?” George asked incredulously.

George wasn’t sure if he just didn’t hear right or if Dream was talking too quietly, but either way, he didn’t quite comprehend what Dream had just said.

“Your lips,” Dream repeated, “they’re pretty.”

George stared at him. Okay, maybe he had heard correctly the first time. Still, it didn’t make him feel any less confused or surprised. 

“I guess I’d just noticed that for the first time when I was getting that mud off your face,” Dream continued, “and I just got distracted by them. Wondered if they felt as soft as they looked.”

Dream’s voice faltered, probably worried he’d said too much, but George smiled solely at the fact that he’d heard Dream sound embarrassed for the first time. It was kind of cute, in a way.

_ Did you just call Dream cute?  _ The logical side of George’s mind asked.

When it came to Dream, though, it seemed like logic never made that much sense.

“You can see if you want,” George blurted out, “if they’re soft.”

_ Why did you say that? _

“What?” It was Dream’s turn to be surprised now.

“I mean, if you’re really that curious,” George shrugged indifferently, but his heart was racing. 

“Okay, then.”

They both sat up fully and faced one another. Dream hesitantly reached out his hand until his fingers were under George’s chin and his thumb resting lightly on his lips. When George showed no signs of pulling away, he pressed down further.

“They’re soft,” Dream observed. 

Before George could talk himself out of it, he parted his lips just barely and took the tip of Dream’s thumb in his mouth. He heard a sharp intake of breath come from behind Dream’s mask as his tongue lightly explored the new feeling of Dream’s finger.

“Fuck, George,” Dream murmured breathily. 

George smiled, glad that he was able to pull such a reaction out of Dream. When he glanced down and saw an obvious bulge in Dream’s pants, he removed his lips.

“Dream, did you get hard just from that?” George asked as a hint of pride swelled in his chest.

“Shut up,” Dream stammered.

“Do you like me or something, Dream?” George crept closer, confidence overwhelming his previous nervousness, “is that what’s going on?”

“S-shut up,” Dream repeated, “you’re hard, too.”

“Mm,” George hummed in agreement, “can I sit in your lap?”

“You’re acting awfully bold right now,” Dream chuckled, patting his lap.

George straddled Dream’s lap and wondered what had come over him in the past few minutes. It was excessive horniness, yes, but why it was so intense in this moment was beyond him. Either way, he knew that all he wanted right now was to feel Dream’s hands on him. 

George cautiously rolled his hips against Dream, who immediately gasped and thrusted up in response. Dream buried his head in George’s shoulder. He clung onto the back of George’s shirt with one and hand with the other, Dream palmed at George’s aching erection.

“ _ Oh, _ ” George moaned at the sudden contact.

Dream looked up at him.

“That feel good, Georgie?” Dream asked breathlessly.

George let out another soft moan and nodded as his vocals failed him. It was his turn to cling to Dream and bury himself in the green hoodie. Dream continued to stroke George - who moved his hips in sync - while also grinding up against George to chase his own pleasure. 

Dream released his grip from George’s shirt and chose instead to reach underneath and explore George’s body. Dream’s hands felt large and warm on George’s skin, and he eagerly leaned into the touch.

George brought his own hands under Dream’s hood and to the back of his neck, where he weaved his fingers into Dream’s soft hair. He gripped harder on the locks and immediately heard a quiet, almost inaudible groan. Dream started moving his hips more intensely against George. 

It wasn’t very long before George could feel himself getting close. Both his breathing and movement became more frantic as heat began pooling in his lower body, and he could tell that Dream was getting close, too.

However, before they could get much further, George happened to glance at the clock laying on the ground behind Dream when he opened his eyes.

“Shit!” he suddenly exclaimed, pulling away from Dream immediately, “my shift’s over, Sapnap’s going to be here any minute!”

George desperately started straightening out his clothes and hair, hoping it would cover up how flustered he was. Dream was still sitting in the same place, his mind likely still void of all thoughts beyond sex.

“Dream, you have to get out of here,” George explained hurriedly again, “Sapnap can’t find you here.”

“Right,” Dream stood up, finally gaining enough awareness of his surroundings to understand the panic, “uh, see you later then.”

“Bye, Dream,” George casted a soft smile his way and then watched as he disappeared into the forest.

All too soon for comfort, Sapnap arrived on the opposite side of the clearing. George finished packing up everything he brought and then walked towards Sapnap, trying to act as casual as one could, given the situation.

“Dude, did I just hear you talking?” Sapnap asked.

“Yeah,” George quickly thought up a lie, “I heard you coming, so I called out to make sure it was you and not some wild animal or something.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry, I didn’t hear what you were saying,” Sapnap apologized, “so how was your shift?”

“Quiet and boring,” George lied again.

“Well, I’m sure you’re ready to go to sleep. Get out of here,” Sapnap grinned.

They said their goodbyes and then George was heading down the path to his tent, being led by nothing but the light of the lantern. He got about halfway down when he finally came to terms with the events of his shift. George smacked his own forehead. He wanted to scream, and he wanted the forest to swallow up his scream, and he wanted the forest to swallow up him, too. 

He and Dream really just started dry humping each other. As if things weren’t confusing enough with their relationship before they did that. And George was the one who instigated it all, so he couldn’t even be mad at Dream for it. 

George shook his head and continued down the path. How could he do something so reckless and stupid? Why did he let his horniness take over every ounce of logic he had? He had to admit, though, it felt really good, and Dream, despite how annoying he could be, seemed to have the ability to turn George on beyond reason.

George got back to his tent finally. He changed into some pajamas and crawled into bed, but he couldn’t sleep just yet. His body was still far too worked up and his mind couldn’t stop thinking about the way Dream’s hands felt against his lips and his skin and the place that was still aching so desperately for stimulation. 

Hesitantly, George reached under his pajama bottoms and immediately bit his lip to hold back a moan as he stroked himself. He occupied his other hand by lifting his shirt and running it along his stomach and chest, trying to imagine it was Dream’s hand. 

George melted into his sheets at the thought.

“You’re doing so good for me, George,” Dream would say. 

  
George arched his back at the imaginary praise. 

“Dream,” George sputtered in the emptiness of his tent.

He was getting close again. 

“Dream, please, I need to-” George gasped and bit the palm of his own hand to muffle his whimpers as he came onto his own stomach and chest.

George laid there for several minutes trying to regain composure after his intense orgasm. When his breathing finally became normal again, he cleaned himself off and curled up in his bed. He didn’t want to think anymore about how confused Dream was making him. He didn’t want to think about how much his body ached for more of Dream’s touch, even now. He didn’t want to think about whether or not he was betraying his friends and fellow hunters. George just wanted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard to write lol oof I had to suck my own finger to make sure I was writing everything relatively accurately dfjskldfklsjdfkljsdkl   
> Also I haven't written smut in such a long time this is lowkey kind of scary to post


	9. An Internal Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George spends the day reflecting on the events of the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta be honest I never even proofread my essays for school so idk why I feel so guilty about not proofreading these chapters

George rolled out of bed the next morning feeling more tired than usual. When he remembered the events of the night before with Dream, he threw himself back onto his bed and groaned. The entire situation felt so awkward looking back on it, and George wondered if Dream felt just as embarrassed about it. 

_ It was probably just a one-time thing for Dream,  _ George thought.

He got out of bed again as his stomach started demanding some breakfast.

_ But do you want it to be just a one-time thing? _

George tried to ignore how intensely the word ‘no’ was bouncing around in his head for the sake of his own heart. The only thing that would be more embarrassing than the current scene before him would be if George tried to come onto Dream again and he didn’t reciprocate. 

He chewed his food slowly and tried to assure himself that nothing like that would happen again, even if he kind of wanted something to happen. In George’s eyes, this was the only way he could protect himself from embarrassing himself anymore. 

After George finished eating, he decided to take a bath, still feeling a little gross from the night before. Maybe it would help clear his mine, too. 

The air was cool when George stepped out of his tent, and he figured the water would be even colder. As expected, George felt chills run up his spine the moment he dipped his foot into it. Even so, he slipped into it quickly and willed his body to become accustomed to the feeling.

The water did, in fact, help George forget about his troubles. The icy shock pushed any and all thoughts out of his mind, if only for a few minutes. Even so, it was a nice distraction while it lasted. 

Unfortunately, the distraction only lasted until George’s fingers started shriveling. He stepped out of the water and quickly went back to his tent to dry off and put on a new set of clothes. Not long after, he heard the familiar sounds of a horse approaching. George stepped outside and saw Sapnap riding up.

“Hi,” he greeted the visitor.

“Hey,” Sapnap responded, “I just came by to invite you to dinner. You, me, and Bad can talk about our shifts and stuff.”

“Yeah, I’ll come. I don’t really have much else to do.”

“Great,” Sapnap beamed, “I’ll see you tonight, then.”

George watched Sapnap leave before heading inside once again.

_ You’re betraying them,  _ that hypercritical voice in his head said.

George sighed and pushed away the thought. Even if anything more happened between him and Dream, it wasn’t like it was hurting anyone. 

George sat at his desk and wondered what he could do to keep himself distracted until dinnertime. He noticed his remembrance journal pushed aside, and figured now would be a good time to write a bit more in it. He picked up a pen and started writing down everything that had happened and that he learned since waking up.

Well, almost everything. He decided to leave out anytime he’d run into Dream, just in case any of his teammates decided to go through his belongings. 

George sat back, his hand cramping and his eyes tired. It was almost time to go to Sapnap’s but not quite. He pondered writing about Dream elsewhere, maybe in some sort of secret remembrance journal. Would he even want to remember everything between him and Dream if he died?

George laid in bed and opened up a book. He knew he should save reading for when he’s at lookout point, since he had only a limited supply of books, but he really couldn’t think of anything else to do. 

Eventually, the sun began its daily descent, so George got on his horse and left for Sapnap’s tent. Admittedly, he didn’t get much reading done. There was far too much internal conflict regarding George’s friends and Dream going on for him to focus on anything else. 

The trip to Sapnap’s was short, and George got there before Bad did. Sapnap was already at the campfire cooking some of the leftover boar from a few days ago. George dismounted his horse and sat down on the log next to Sapnap’s with a sigh that was a little louder than intended.

“Busy day?” Sapnap asked as he poked at the fire with a stick.

“Not busy enough,” George responded, “sometimes there’s just nothing to do out here, you know?”

“Definitely,” Sapnap nodded, “each day was a lot more exciting when we all had tons of ideas on how to catch Dream.”

“I can’t believe we haven’t even found his bed still,” George stared into the dancing fire.

“He sure is tricky,” Sapnap agreed.

By the time the conversation had naturally ended, Bad had showed up.

“Bad!” Sapnap greeted him, “what’re some things you do to keep yourself from not getting too bored?”

“Let’s see,” Bad thought as he sat down across from George, “sometimes I’ll go to the beach and just spend the day there, or I’ll go to the market in the kingdom and window shop. I might even buy something like fruit or a new book if I have the money to.”

“Those could be fun,” George said thoughtfully.

Sapnap finished cooking the meat and handed the other two their fair portions before taking some for himself. 

“So, how were your first shifts?” Bad asked between bites.

“ _ So  _ boring,” Sapnap groaned.

“Yeah,” George lied, “I sort of just stared at my clock the whole time waiting for Sapnap to show up and take over.”

_ Liar. _

“Same here,” Bad answered his own question, “I had to force myself to stay awake, though.”

“I can’t wait until we don’t have to do this anymore,” Sapnap complained, “but I hope I’m the one who gets the signal. Even if I fail, it’ll be fun to stalk Dream and see how far I get before he notices.”

“I hope you get the signal too, Sapnap, for your own sake,” Bad chuckled. 

George couldn’t really get into the conversation. Ever since they started talking about Dream and shifts, a touch of guilt made itself at home in his mind. What would they say if they knew?

_ Does it matter what they would say? It’s your business, not theirs. _

This back-and-forth battle within George made him feel physically sick. It was all too stressful for him.

_ Just forget it all for now. There’s nothing you can do about it right now,  _ he tried to reassure himself. 

George took a deep breath in and then exhaled. Another one in, and another one out. After a few deep breaths, his head felt a little clearer and his stomach felt a little more settled. 

He tried to join in on the conversation as best he could, and luckily, Bad and Sapnap didn’t seem to notice the moment of quiet anxiety coming from George.

***

It was almost midnight when Bad said he had to leave for his shift. George decided to leave as well so that he could hopefully get some much needed rest. 

He was on his horse, being led by nothing but the moonlight and the worn path. When George got to a part of the path that was particularly close to the ocean, though, he had his horse stop. He listened to the soft waves lapping the sand and remembered Bad talking about how he would spend full days at the beach. 

George made a sudden decision and turned his horse off of the path and through the trees towards the waves. He left his horse at the treeline, along with his shoes. He walked towards the water until the waves were reaching his toes. 

He would probably regret it later, but George started taking his clothes off and dropping them on the beach. He couldn’t bring himself to worry about all that sand in his clothes at the moment. He waded into the water until he was waist deep.

The night sky reflected off the dark water and George watched in awe as the moon and the stars shifted with the currents. The water here was much warmer than in his pond, and when he started floating on his back, it felt like he was wrapped up in the warmth of his bed. 

George wasn’t sure how long he had floated there, just staring at the sky, but if he wanted to, he could fall asleep there. It felt like he was flying. He was free with nothing tethering him to the earth. Nothing was stopping him from flying away from everything. Here was where George felt like he was himself. 

However, the freedom couldn’t last forever, and George knew he had to get out when his eyes actually started closing involuntarily. He forced himself out of the comfortable warmth of the water and pulled his clothes on, cringing at the way they clung to his skin. He cringed even more when he had to put his shoes on. It seemed like he could feel every single grain of sand as he walked. 

George mounted his horse and took one last look at the serene view before heading back in the direction of his tent. 

The ride back felt much longer than usual as George could hardly keep himself awake atop his horse. Maybe going for a swim when he was already exhausted wasn’t the best idea, but it was worth it. 

When he finally got back to his tent, George stumbled inside and hardly managed to pull his shoes off before falling asleep. He told himself he would wash his clothes and his bedsheets, which were now glazed in a layer of sand, in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was kind of boring to write, so I'm sorry if it was boring to read D:


	10. A Spicy Shift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is actually nothing but smut

George climbed up the hill towards lookout point the afternoon of the next day. His bag full of books would slap against his side every few steps, and the sun was beating down on him relentlessly. As sweat beaded down his forehead, George hoped it would cool off later on in the day. 

George walked into the clearing to find Will leaning against the rock with his arms crossed. George braced himself, already coming up with all sorts of snarky comebacks for whatever Will was going to say this time, but instead, Will just took off without a word. George lowered his tensed shoulders as he watched him leave and wondered if that was normal behavior from Will. 

George settled into the spot he’d presumably take up the entirety of his eight hour shift. 

_ Dream’s not showing up, and that’s okay,  _ he tried reminding himself.

It didn’t feel okay, though, and George hated admitting how badly he wanted to see Dream again. Despite all the feelings of betrayal, all the feelings that he was doing something wrong, he still wanted to see Dream. 

George’s shift dragged on and he found himself staring mindlessly at the kingdom wall instead of reading one of the many books he’d brought with him. Every sound the forest made caused him to jump.

He almost didn’t believe it when he saw Dream’s familiar mask between the trees.

“Oh, you’re here,” George stammered as Dream walked up and sat next to him.

There were far too many emotions rushing through George’s brain at that moment to properly convey any one of them.

“Is that okay?” Dream asked, noticing the odd tone.

“Yeah of course, I’m just surprised is all.”

“Why’s that?”

George pulled his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees. Dream looked up at the sky, and George wondered how well he could even see out of the mask.

“I guess I’m just kind of embarrassed about what happened last time,” George confessed.

“Do you regret it?”

“No, nothing like that,” George explained, “I’m just embarrassed about how I acted. I’ve never really been that forward with someone.”

“Ah, I see. Well if you want, I could be the one to take control this time,” Dream suggested.

He turned to face George and immediately started giggling quietly when he saw how flustered George had become at the suggestion.

“This time?” George repeated.

“If you want there to be a this time,” Dream nodded. 

“I do,” George spoke slowly, but the two words slipped out of his mouth before he gave himself time to think on whether he should or not.

George may have been dealing with a lot of internal conflict, but when he was here with Dream, there was nothing to fight. He couldn’t think properly enough to come up with any reason why he shouldn’t be doing this. It all felt okay when he was around Dream.

“That’s good. I do, too. You wanna sit here again?” Dream patted his lap, same as last time.

George blushed at the forwardness. It was quite a contrast from the day before, where Dream was far too surprised by George’s behavior to show any form of confidence. 

George hesitantly crawled into Dream’s lap to once again straddle him. He brought his hands to the back of Dream’s head, remembering how much they’d both enjoyed that last time. Dream stared at George for a long period, and George stared back.

“You’re pretty,” Dream finally murmured.

George rolled his eyes at the cheesy comment, but he didn’t miss the hint of bashfulness in Dream’s voice when he said it. 

To avoid giving a response, George dipped down and pressed his lips against Dream’s exposed neck. Dream’s small inhale and the way he pulled George closer by his waist didn’t go unnoticed by George. 

“I thought I was supposed to be leading things this time,” Dream complained playfully.

“Well, you weren’t doing anything but staring at me,” George shot back, smiling before gently biting the sensitive skin before him.

“Fine,” Dream laughed, “lean back for me, then.”

George did as he was told and moved his hands from Dream’s neck and placed them behind himself on Dream’s legs. Dream slowly lifted George’s shirt up to reveal his pale torso. His eyes fixated on George’s pink nipples, which stood out like two roses in a snowstorm. Dream wondered if he could turn the rest of the pearly skin the same shade of pink.

“Are you sensitive at all here?” Dream asked as he pressed a finger to George’s left rosebud.

“No,” George answered quickly.

Despite the answer, Dream still gently pinched his nipple and rolled it between his fingers, and George arched his back at the feeling.

“George, it’s not nice to lie,” Dream scolded him.

George let out a sharp inhale and rolled his hips against Dream. It took everything in Dream not to repeat George’s action, as he’d rubbed right up against Dream’s aching hardness. 

“Oh? What did I do that got you so excited?” Dream loved teasing George.

“I guess I like when you say my name,” George stammered.

Dream smiled and stored that information in the back of his mind for future use.

“Here, hold your shirt up,” Dream ordered.

George did as he was told. When he heard Dream start undoing his own pants, he felt his eyes become glued to Dream’s hands at work. When Dream finally pulled out his own dick, George let out a low whine at the sight and involuntarily thrusted his hips again.

Dream started stroking himself slowly, almost casually, like he wasn’t in any particular rush. He thumbed his slit and began spreading his precum down his length. George licked his lips as he watched in awe. 

“I want you to keep your shirt up,” Dream continued, “and use my leg to get yourself off.”

George was surprised by Dream’s order, but he certainly didn’t hate the idea.

“Want you to touch me, though,” George protested, despite already rocking back and forth against Dream’s leg. 

“I’ll touch you if you do well,” Dream promised, “I just wanna see you like this first.”

So George began using Dream’s leg to pleasure himself. He couldn’t hold back his moans at the stimulation, and Dream touched himself as he did so. George noticed that Dream’s grip on himself would tighten every time a sound escaped George’s lips. That on its own almost drew George over the edge. He loved knowing he could get Dream that worked up without even touching him.

“Dream, m’gonna come soon,” George panted, completely forgetting Dream’s promise to touch him as he started chasing his high.

“Stop moving, George.”

George hardly heard. He was so, so close. However, a pair of hands gripped his hips and brought his movement to a halt. George let out a choked sound of disappointment at the loss of friction. 

When his mind cleared, George noticed Dream had undone his pants. When his dick sprung free and Dream had a hold on it, George immediately pushed into the warmth of his grasp, still relatively close to finishing. 

George’s tip was a rosy pink, which stood out just as much as his lips or his nipples did against his pale complexion. His cheeks were flushed a similar shade of pink now, too. 

George reached out and grabbed ahold of Dream’s unattended erection, which earned him a surprised moan.

“George, you don’t have to-” Dream started.

“Wanna make you come, too,” George explained breathlessly.

“You’re so eager for me,” Dream smiled under his mask despite George not being able to see.

Dream slowly and gently wiped away the sweat on George’s forehead with his free hand, and George melted into his touch. George couldn’t deny Dream’s statement. He was definitely eager to listen to Dream come completely undone. He would love to see Dream’s face as well when it happened, but something told him that was out of the question. He figured he’d try anyways, though.

“Dream,” George breathed, “I want to kiss you.” 

“Mm,” Dream pondered the request, “not yet. Soon, though.”

George huffed at the denial.

“Please, Dream,” he begged, thrusting harder into Dream’s hand, “I wanna look into your eyes and feel your lips on my neck and my chest and my nipples and-”

“God, fuck, George.”

Dream let out a string of curse words and grabbed George’s hand, the one stroking him, and squeezed harder and moved faster. He leaned forward towards George and let out a trembling moan as he finished on both their hands. 

And there it was - the moment that threw George over the edge. His hips stuttered and his eyelashes fluttered as he came. He practically whimpered at the feeling of release, and the only word he could coherently form was Dream’s name over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy and I hope it doesn't feel too rushed or too short aH smut is so difficult to write.  
> Also I actually proofread this chapter tell me you're proud of me


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